A tale of two frogs

Friday

Mar 21, 2014 at 12:01 AM

'Muppets Most Wanted' gives us what we want.

By Rob RyanStaff writer

The makers of “Muppets Most Wanted” have clearly taken the old adage “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” to heart. They understand what made 2011's “The Muppets” work as well as it did to bring the franchise back, and they stick to their strengths to make this sequel just as much fun. The rapid-fire jokes, whimsical songs and charming characters — both human and Muppet — combine to make “Muppets Most Wanted” a delight for anyone who's a fan of the Muppets or lighthearted comedies in general.“Most Wanted” sets the tone right from its opening minute, which takes place mere seconds after the conclusion of the first film. The Muppets are wondering what they'll do next when newcomer Walter notices that the camera is still rolling, at which point resident cranks Statler and Waldorf exclaim in horror that the studio must have ordered a sequel and the group breaks into their first song (complete with the line “... and everybody knows that the sequel's never quite as good”). It's upbeat, witty and slyly subversive. In other words: trademark Muppets.After the opening number, the movie settles into its groove and its plot. Following their big comeback, the gang is eager to take their act on the road in front of the biggest audiences, but Kermit wants to hone their act so they don't wear out their newfound good will. This puts him on the outs with the rest of the Muppets, as they've been convinced by flashy manager Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) to go on a world tour.With a name like “Badguy,” however, Dominic is obviously up to no good. He's the right hand man to Constantine, an evil Muppet frog with a knack for thievery who looks identical to Kermit except for a mole on his right cheek. After Constantine escapes from a Russian gulag, he slaps a fake mole on Kermit, gets Kermit sent to the gulag and then takes his place with the Muppets. From there, he and Dominic use the Muppets' tour as a cover to stage high-profile burglaries, with the crown jewels of England as their ultimate prize. As Dominic and Constantine are plotting, Kermit must figure out how to survive and escape the gulag while Sam Eagle works with Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell) on investigating the burglaries.This is a pretty hefty step up from “The Muppets” in terms of plot, and unfortunately it's the movie's one misstep in comparison with its predecessor. Switching Kermit out for an obviously evil doppelganger is a neat idea and produces some fun moments (for example, Constantine starts wooing Miss Piggy to keep up appearances, resulting in an adorably cheesy R&B number), but it means the heart of the Muppets doesn't have a lot of time on screen with the other Muppets. Furthermore, the character switch is supposed to reinforce a message about the characters learning to be less selfish — Constantine tries to give everyone what they want as a distraction — but the overloaded script means the execution is a bit muddled.This is a fairly minor quibble, however. In the broad strokes, “Most Wanted” is a gem. Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords has produced another fantastic crop of songs, the movie is jammed with one-liners and great sight gags, and the celebrity cameos are even more plentiful this time around and used to great effect. (Among the highlights: Danny Trejo and Jemaine Clement, the other half of the Conchords, are two of Kermit's prison buddies, and Celine Dion has a great moment with Miss Piggy.) Additionally, Gervais, Burrell and Tina Fey as the warden of the gulag are all very funny in their respective roles, making them a pleasing upgrade over their human counterparts from “The Muppets.” Gervais, in particular, is great as the inwardly seething Dominic, who's constantly berated by Constantine for being the lesser of the two thieves. “Muppets Most Wanted” may not have quite as much heart as its predecessor, but it's still more of the Muppets, and that's never a bad thing.